Page 205 - DENG102_COMMUNICATION_SKILLS_II

Communication Skills-II

Notes Sometimes we do not need such specific information.

Example: In “The president answered several questions from the audience and then
adjourned the meeting”, the specific number watch out for words like several, recently, a number
of, substantial, a few, and a lot of. You may need to be more exact.
Likewise, use the most concrete word that is appropriate; give the reader a specific mental
picture of what you mean. That is, learn to talk in pictures:

Don’t: The vice president was bored by the presentation.
Do: the vice president kept yawning and looking at her watch.
But sure that your term convey as much meaning as the reader needs to react appropriately.
Watch out for terms like emotional meeting (anger or gratitude?), bright colour (red or
yellow), new equipment (postage meter or cash register?), and change in price (increase or
decrease?).
2. Avoid clichés, slang, and buzz words: A cliché is an expression that has become monotonous
through overuse. It lacks freshness and originality and may also send the unintended message
that the writer couldn’t be bothered to choose language geared specifically to the reader.

Don’t: Enclosed please find an application form that you should return at your earliest
convenience.
Do: Please return the enclosed application form before May 15.

As noted earlier, slang is an expression, often short-lived, that is identified with a specific
group of people. If you understand each word in an expression but still don’t understand
what it means in context, chances are you’re having trouble with a slang expression.

Example: Read the following sentences:
It turns my stomach the way you can break your neck and beat your brains out around
here, and they still stab you in the back.
To anyone unfamiliar with American slang (a non-native speaker, perhaps), this sentence
might seem to be about the body because it refers to the stomach, neck, brains, and back.
The real meaning, of course, is something like this:
I am really upset that this company ignores hard work and loyalty when making personnel
decisions.

3. Same rules the world over: The strategies for writing effective business messages discussed
in this unit are universal.
Avoid slang in most business writing, for several reasons. First, it is informal and much
of business writing, being formal and businesslike calls for standard word usage. Second,
slang is short-lived. A slang phrase used today may not be in use-and thus may not be
familiar-in three years, when your letter is retrieved from the files for reference. Third, slang
is identified group of people, and others in the general population may not understand the
intended meaning.
A buzz word is an important-sounding expression used mainly to impress other people.
Because buzz words are so often used by government officials and high ranking business
people-people whose comments are “newsworthy”– these expressions get much media
attention. They become instant clichés and then go out of fashion just as quickly. At
either end of their short life span, they cause communication problems. If an expression
is currently being used by everyone, it sounds monotonous, lacking originality. If it is so
longer being used by any one, readers may not understand the intended meaning.

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